by Rachel on July 27, 2012
CNN news has confirmed that the International Association of Athletics Federations knows of at least 9 athletes that have tested positive for illegal drug use. Among the suspensions, bans and further investigations, Olympic bronze medalist Nataliya Tobias was stripped of her medal. What causes athletes to risk not being able to compete or even worse, being stripped of their medals from the Olympics?
Cheating is strictly prohibited and addressed immediately through disqualification if an athlete is found guilty. It seems that these athletes feel that an untouchable athletic ability may translate into a belief system that says “win at any cost.” Unfortunately, the cost of cheating in the Olympics causes much more devastation than a clean loss.
Who Was Caught?
Nataliya Tobias – Ukraine
Abderrahim Goumri – Morocco
Irini Kokkinariou – Greece
Meryem Erdogan – Turkey
Svetlana Klyuka –Russia
Nailiya Yulamanova – Russia
Yevgenina...

by Rachel on July 24, 2012
Have questions about addictions and treatment? Call LVH @ 1-800-884-1727 24/7.
President Obama signed the Synthetic Drug Abuse Prevention Act of 2012 placing synthetic compounds found in synthetic marijuana (spice, K-2), synthetic stimulants (bath salts) and hallucinogens under the Schedule I of Controlled Substances Act. When a drug is classified as Schedule I, it means that the drug has no medical use or purpose and should never be consumed. While under the influence of synthetic drugs people are committing ungodly acts and are in desperate need for help. Under this new Act, insurance companies may have to adjust policies to reflect whether or not to pay for bath salt and spice addicts to go to drug rehab.
Synthetic drug compounds, when ingested, cause devastating psychological and physical damage. Addicts intoxicated with bath salts and/or spice need medical attention and addiction treatment to eliminate use....

Although bath salts are sold disguised as a harmless substance used for relaxation, people are ingesting them seeking euphoria. In addition to experiencing altered moods, many bath salt users are having psychotic episodes marked with agitation, hallucinations and violent behavior. Because this drug is unfamiliar to medical professionals, doctors are still learning how to treat symptoms and overdoses of this drug. This drug has dangerous consequences as noted in different news events in the United States.
Via Lakeview HealthView More Drug Rehab Infographics
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by Steve Pasierb
Synthetic marijuana, known as Spice or K2, is gaining attention among high school seniors. According to The University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future studyone in every nine 12th graders reported using this drug.
Yesterday R. Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the White House ONDCP, urged parents to help stop teen use of Spice / K2. “It’s not in the vocabulary of parents, and they need to be aware of it so that when they have that conversation about substance abuse they are knowledgeable,” he said. “These drugs are dangerous and can cause serious harm.” Another synthetic drug to be aware of is Bath Salts, a synthetic powdered stimulants – sold online and in drug paraphernalia stores as bath salts and plant food. So what exactly are these new synthetic “designer” drugs? Here’s what you need to know: Spice Also Known As: K2, Fake Marijuana, Skunk,...

By JENNIFER C. KERR
Teen Drug Use: More Teenagers Smoking Marijuana
WASHINGTON -- More teens are smoking dope, with nearly 1 in 10 lighting up at least 20 or more times a month, according to a new survey of young people.
The report by The Partnership at Drugfree.org, being released Wednesday, also said abuse of prescription medicine may be easing a bit among young people in grades 9 through 12, but still remains high.
Partnership President Steve Pasierb says the mindset among parents is that it's just a little weed or a few pills – no biggie.
"Parents are talking about cocaine and heroin, things that scare them," said Pasierb. "Parents are not talking about prescription drugs and marijuana. They can't wink and nod. They need to be stressing the message that this behavior is unhealthy."
Use of harder drugs – cocaine and methamphetamine – has stabilized in recent years, the...

By Jeff Gluck | SB Nation – Fri, Jul 13, 2012 3:55 PM EDT
What would you do if you were one of AJ Allmendinger's NASCAR driver colleagues this week?
With few details about Allmendinger's positive drug test available, would not knowing the specific substance make you nervous? Would you double-check your supplements and prescriptions to make sure they were OK? How would you answer reporters' queries about the situation?
And perhaps the biggest question: Would you believe there could have been a mistake?
Allmendinger remained the hot topic at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday, even though he wasn't at the track. The Penske Racing driver was suspended from NASCAR after testing positive for what his camp said was a banned stimulant (Allmendinger contends he doesn't know how that happened).
For fitness-savvy drivers who take various supplements and vitamins to help their workouts and keep them healthy, you'd think the thought of...

By: Don Davis, Bemidji Pioneer
ST. PAUL – Synthetic substances that mimic traditional illegal drugs, and are killing young people in increasing numbers, now are against federal law.
President Barack Obama Monday signed a food and drug safety bill into law with provisions outlawing synthetic drugs such 2C-E and “spice.”
Police attribute at least two Minnesota youths’ deaths to synthetic drugs, as well as a recent one in North Dakota. However, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., she has heard from families that blame deaths on what some call “designer drugs,” but have no proof that was the cause of death.
Many other youths have been hospitalized with synthetic drug problems.
The new law bans 2C-I, which Klobuchar’s office said was what last month killed 17-year-old Elijah Stai of Park Rapids, Minn. Also, Christian Bjerk, 18, of Grand Forks, N.D., died in a case police link to Stai’s death.
“In Minnesota and...

Father working to get illegal drugs off the streets after son's death
By Richard Elliot
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga.
The father of a metro Atlanta teenager who died after using synthetic marijuana is now working to get all illegal drugs off the streets, and he's found a unique way to do it.
Dakota Dyer, 14, committed suicide in March after ingesting synthetic marijuana for the first and only time. His father, Lance Dyer, formed a foundation dedicated to ridding the community of illicit drugs.
He gets old mailboxes from the U.S. Postal Service, paints them, and offers them to law enforcement agencies free of charge to be used as drug drop-off boxes.
"We looked at a way of trying to give back to the community with the foundation we formed in my son's name," said Dyer as he delivered one of the mailboxes to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. "They're placed inside...

Digital black market activity hard to trace
Updated: Friday, 06 Jul 2012, 7:32 AM CDTPublished : Thursday, 05 Jul 2012, 8:32 PM CDT
Leslie Rhode
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Log on to the Silk Road Anonymous Marketplace, and you may think you are looking at an eBay-type website. However, you will not find children's clothing or used electronics to buy.
Shoppers on Silk Road may buy illegal drugs including marijuana, ecstasy and heroin. Buyers simply search for a drug, look through the options including photos, add it to their online cart and wait for it to arrive in the mail.
The sellers are listed as living all over the world, and are even evaluated and rated by past shoppers. You can even read comments about the sellers. It sure sounds like eBay, but Silk Road has federal investigators watching it very closely.
A spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, D.C....

June 18, 2012, Dr. David Sack
Drug use is common among teenagers. By late adolescence, a recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry showed that as many as 78 percent of teens have abused alcohol and over 40 percent have used other drugs. Although these statistics are daunting, millions of teens are not using drugs. Which group does your teen belong to? How can you know?
Addiction has no single cause, but rather often results from a number of biological, social and psychological risk factors. Here are the 10 risk factors for teen addiction:
#1 Family History of Addiction
Addiction has a strong genetic component. If a parent, grandparent, sibling or other blood relative has struggled with some form of addiction (drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, sex), your child is at greater risk as well. For example, children of alcoholics are two to four times more likely than other children...

Mommy Match is a DNA based verification program designed to provide peace of mind to families with newborns. Using advanced DNA testing methods, Mommy Match can rapidly and conclusively verify maternity and paternity of newborns, providing peace of mind that there was not a tragic baby switch at the hospital.
While "switched at birth" is a popular plot device in novels, movies and television shows, the true rate is difficult to estimate because most cases are never discovered. It has been suggested that the incidence of baby switching would occur more in hospitals where babies are separated from their mother for short intervals. Mommy Match is another application of DNA for solving complex age old problems and concerns.
Unlike older Methods, a DNA paternity test can be conducted on individuals at any age, including newborns. Samples can be collected at the...

PRESS RELEASE
Drug & Alcohol Testing Compliance Services Announces Instant Testing for the Designer Drug K2, or Synthetic Marijuana Now Available at All Four Locations
New instant test identifies illegal chemical found in Synthetic Marijuana, known as K2 or Spice.
TYLER, TX – May 15, 2012 / www.datet.com
K2 Instant Urine Testing
Drug & Alcohol Testing Compliance Services (DATCS), one of the leading substance abuse managers providing complete, full service drug testing programs to state and federal companies and schools throughout the United States.
DATCS has announced today that they will offer instant K2 testing. This new test will detect illegal Synthetic Cannaboids, now classified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as Schedule I drugs. Due to the growing use of K2, DATCS provides instant testing for several reasons; it’s found to be “4 to 100 times stronger than marijuana”, abuse has increased by “139% from 2010 to 2011.”
DATCS...

What is DNA Paternity Testing?We all have a unique DNA pattern that is inherited from our biological parents and is similar to theirs in molecular structure and genetic code. Because of this similarity, the DNA can be used to test and conclusively determine biological kinship.
When the testing is done to determine who the father is, it is known as DNA Paternity Testing. It is about 99.99% conclusive. It is usually not necessary to do maternity testing.
DNA Paternity Testing is now widely used for scientific purposes, to determine paternity concerns, or to settle legal disputes.
What does DNA Paternity Testing involve?Usually, DNA from the alleged parents and the child are required for the DNA Paternity Testing. Having access to the maternal DNA makes the testing easier, as, with this part conclusively settled, you only need to check the other half of the child's DNA with that of the father. If...

MONDAY May 7, 2012 -- Among U.S. adolescents, misuse of prescription painkillers peaks at age 16, earlier than thought, a new large survey analysis reveals.
"What our findings suggest is that if we wait until the last year of high school or college to take some kind of action that could prevent the misuse of opioid painkillers, it'll be a case of too little, too late," cautioned study co-author James Anthony, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
Many experts consider "extramedical" painkiller abuse -- taking pain drugs such as OxyContin (oxycodone) and Vicodin (hydrocodone) to get high rather than to relieve extreme pain -- the country's most serious drug challenge. Some kids had already misused these drugs by age 13 or 14, or eighth grade, the researchers found.
Anthony and his colleagues discuss their work, co-funded...

Six teenagers have ended up in San Fernando Valley emergency rooms recently with symptoms of alcohol poisoning. But the illicit alcohol didn't come from their parents' liquor cabinets or from illegally purchased beers. These teens got drunk -- and dangerously ill -- drinking hand sanitizer. Related: 6 Risky Games Your Kids May Be Playing They're not drinking the gel straight from the dispenser. Some of the teens reportedly used salt to isolate the ethyl alcohol in the disinfectant, turning the gel into a shot of something like liquor; others go online to find distillation instructions. Since most hand sanitizers are 62 percent to 65 percent ethyl alcohol, the drink distilled from it can be as high as 120 proof. (In contrast, a standard shot of vodka is about 40 percent alcohol, or 80 proof.) "All it takes is just a few swallows and you have a drunk teenager," Cyrus Rangan, director...

Many people who smoke cannabis, otherwise known as marijuana or pot, become addicted to it without even realizing that they have an addiction. In fact, if a long time user of cannabis is asked if they are addicted, they will typically say that they are not, because they really don’t think they are. When they try to quit, however, it becomes obvious that they are addicted, and they need some steps to stop smoking cannabis.
What to Expect When You Stop Smoking Cannabis
Some people claim that there are no withdrawals when you try to stop smoking cannabis. It is important to realize that these people were never truly addicted to it – or they never really quit smoking cannabis. The withdrawal symptoms are very real, and are similar to the same withdrawal symptoms that you might experience if you were addicted to alcohol or tobacco and suddenly denied your body...

When drug use begins in early adolescence there is increased risk to become addicted. This is partly due to the immaturity of the young brain and its impulse control ability.
Prevent Teen Drug Abuse with Prevention
Treatment of Teenage Drug Abuse can include preventing it. Talk with your teenager, know what is going on in their life, what their worries and fears are, and know who they are associating with. Peer relationships, educational problems and family issues can greatly affect the risk of drug use.
If you suspect your teen is using drugs it is crucial that you talk to them about it. If you have undisputable evidence that your teen is in fact using drugs you must get help for them immediately. Infrequent drug use can progress to frequent drug use without intervention.
Teen Drug Abuse Treatment Options
Teen drug abuse treatment includes programs for drug awareness, drug free programs,...

Reality: Marijuana Use Harms Nonusers
(Continued from Page 4)
We need to put to rest the thought that there is such a thing as a lone drug user, a person whose habits affect only himself or herself. Drug use, including marijuana use, is not a victimless crime. Some communities may resist involvement because they think someone else's drug use is not hurting them.
But this kind of not-my-problem thinking is tragically misguided. Ask those same people about secondhand smoke from cigarettes, and they'll quickly acknowledge the harm that befalls nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke is a well-known problem, one that Americans are becoming more unwilling to bear. We need to apply the same common-sense thinking to the even more pernicious secondhand effects of drug use.
Take for instance the disastrous effects of marijuana smoking on driving. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted, "Epidemiology data from . . . traffic arrests and...

Reality: Marijuana Is Dangerous to the User
(Continued from Page 3)
Use of marijuana has adverse health, safety, social, academic, economic, and behavioral consequences; and children are the most vulnerable to its damaging effects. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in America and is readily available to kids.
Compounding the problem is that the marijuana of today is not the marijuana of the baby boomers 30 years ago. Average THC levels rose from less than 1 percent in the mid-1970s to more than 8 percent in 2004. And the potency of B.C. Bud, a popular type of marijuana cultivated in British Columbia, Canada, is roughly twice the national average-ranging from 15 percent THC content to 20 percent or even higher.
Marijuana use can lead to dependence and abuse. Marijuana was the second most common illicit drug responsible for drug treatment admissions in 2002-outdistancing crack cocaine, the next most prevalent cause....

Reality: Liberalization Often Results in Higher Use of Dangerous Drugs
(Continued from Page 2)
Over the past decade, drug policy in some foreign countries, particularly those in Europe, has gone through some dramatic changes toward greater liberalization with failed results. Consider the experience of the Netherlands, where the government reconsidered its legalization measures in light of that country's experience.
After marijuana use became legal, consumption nearly tripled among 18- to 20-year-olds. As awareness of the harm of marijuana grew, the number of cannabis coffeehouses in the Netherlands decreased 36 percent in six years.
Almost all Dutch towns have a cannabis policy, and 73 percent of them have a no-tolerance policy toward the coffeehouses.
In 1987 Swiss officials permitted drug use and sales in a Zurich park, which was soon dubbed Needle Park, and Switzerland became a magnet for drug users the world over. Within five years, the number of regular drug users...